* * *

Sage recalled the period between the Holidays as a sort of limbo of good food, slow meetings, and the excitement of the new year.

Yet there was something grand about New Year's day, given that the witches had given the green light to do the soul swap then.

A week. It gave a Sage a week to prepare herself for such an astronomical task.

Yesterday was entirely packed, with a few items off the checklist that needed to be done before the end of the year finally arrived.

Confirming the plans regarding the additions to the Reformed neighborhood. It would be easy to build off that system, and Blake had already started the sketches—Given that he had been there for the first installment.

He would oversee the next. The hard part, however, was just how misplaced Blake and Raven were with Bellamy now that their previous home had been claimed by another family.

It reminded the Warren family that they had been kicked out without much thought or disregard for how Remus or Sage would've felt.

But even as Jack had made his stable argument, Blake didn't bother to stick around to find out if he was able to stay. If the new Alpha didn't want him, then he would go.

Ember Circle was more than happy to accept him into the Coven with open arms. They were undoubtedly more grateful than Eli ever was. But now, the couple was living in the Moon residence, and it was gradually getting busier by the day.

With so many coming and going, Blake had started his own construction on the home, as he had no ill-will toward the couple who had taken over his previously built house.

No, the former Rogue learned early on that there was plenty to be thankful for, and homes could be rebuilt and upgraded. Which is exactly what he was going for in this remodeling. That and the dozens of Half Crescent members were bound to want their own quarters soon enough.

It was their first step into an official pack. No matter how daunting the chance may be, he would be there with them every step of the way.

Sage had given him this task, and he would give it his entire attention. And Raven had shifted in the same direction, though with the Witches. Yet right now, they were more concerned about the protection of the pack, as Crescent Moon was not feeling safe due to the previous Draugr attack.

It meant more guards and plentiful shifts throughout the day, which, of course, put a strain on the able bodies throughout the pack.

Granted, it was mainly the volunteers from various teams of Sage's Reformed program.

They were all eager to help and eager to make a space in their homes for their struggling sisters and brothers who were deciding to stay.

While the last few days had been family affairs matching the level of excitement in the home, Sage still had a lot to get through.

After making the necessary journey here, shifting her plans still required a bit of strength, considering she still needed the reminder ever so often that this wasn't a dream.

That this was reality, however, this morning was not starting off well.

What made it worse was that today, Sage woke up with a tender ache in the back of her head. It hadn't allowed her to sleep in, which Remus promised her on a day like today. But every bit of movement she heard through the walls throughout the home had pulsed through her skull, making her grit her teeth in damnation.

This was beyond anything she ever felt. The annoyance. The strange sense of misplacement and the inability to feel comfortable in any position, no matter how often she tried to reposition herself.

With a groan leaving her lips, she wondered how worse things could get. But as she held her hand against her temple to try to feel the tension, she caught how sweaty she turned out to be.

For minutes, she tried to piece together the wander just sitting there, staring at her in the face.

Denial was the easy part, repeating it over and over again in her mind as she tried her best to ignore the sensations starting to plague her body.

But the struggle was becoming too much to bear, and once she opened her eyes, the dreading sense of guilt reminded her that she had gone through this alone twice beforehand.

And she indeed did not have the strength to do it again.

Yet, throughout all of this, the pain and loneliness aside. Sage reached out to the only person she felt like she could trust in this situation who wouldn't panic and out until she felt ready.

Are you close?

Sage whispered plainly into their head, and close to immediately, they responded.

I could be. I'm just out on patrol with a few of the newbies...They're doing great. I might have to take a few off your hands for my own—Are you okay?

Perhaps Sage's groan had slipped through the Link she was projecting out towards Blake, but it didn't help with how exposed she felt when she couldn't compress things so deeply for much longer.

No. I think I have my Heat.

W-what?! How is that—You said you have it a few months ago!

I know! But it's here, and it hurts. Bad. I don't know what to do!

Sage could feel Blake trying to muster up some plan for going about this, but realistically, the decision wasn't up to him. He could only just lay down the options available.

Do you want Remus to...help?

I don't know if it's Heat talking or not. That's why I can't—If I tell him, he can't help when he too close to me.

If he's in the house, sweetheart, sooner or later, it's going to be exposed to him. I remember Luke and Liam said you weren't marked when you had your first Heat here in the pack. Any male in the vicinity who isn't mated or family is going to smell you.

The tears Sage had tried to keep back finally spilled as she curled further into the pillow. Remus' pillow, to be exact. It was helping to a point, but only making the longing deeper.

There is a method of a male helping but stopping the product of a pup, if that's what you want. But it would be best if you talked to Remus. This isn't something you can avoid.

I don't want to avoid—I'm tired.

I know. Let me see if I can empty the house and get Half Crescent to vacate your yard for the time being, alright? In the meantime, call Remus.

She agreed, but a part of her didn't want to.

A part of her didn't want to decide if a pup should come into the world right now. But the other half of her was downright angry for the Goddess to grant her something so precious as a Heat right now that it wasn't giving her a clear reason.

So, she took the given actions to right herself up, even if she swayed forward and nearly face-planted into her own legs. She truly did not know if she could make it to the bathroom door, let alone the shower, or turn it on.

With Blake making the preparations to clear out the area, Sage finally found the means to crawl to the shower and sit directly underneath the cool running water. She found a sense of relief and even managed to get rid of the clouds covering her mind.

With the extensive projects that lay in the New Year, how could she ever plan to compete in the Tournament if she was carrying a pup?

Shaking off the thought, and disregarding all the signs that wanted her to make this work. To give the twins another sibling, Sage knew what needed to be done.

Remus?

She called out, her voice as even as possible, and given that he was right downstairs, she could feel him pause.

You're up already? Damn, I thought I still had an hour to finish this.

Can you come upstairs?

He agreed, but with pups and a full house, that seemed to be nearly impossible. Or, and this was a fairly reasonable span of time—Truly, it did not matter to Sage when the pain made every moment as torturous as the last.

With another stressful sigh releasing from her lips, she turned her attention towards the wall—Realizing that Remus was making his way up the steps. However, the spike had taken over as she curled into her bunched knees—pressing the center of her temple to relieve something.

"Sage?... Did you want to have some tea up here or—" Just as she expected, the smell had done its job attracting her fated male. It wasn't easy to pull her head up, but she was thankful she had.

His mere presence alleviated the pain, given that his scent acted as a comfort. Yet the longing had returned within that moment. "I'm tired..." she whispered, but Remus' blackened gaze had loomed over her so easily.

Even as she sat underneath the shower head, with her clothes soaked through, she didn't look any less beautiful than Remus remembered.

It was difficult to fight through the hormones starting to peek at attention.

Sage noticed that wasn't the only thing willing to greet her.

"Call Kenzie?" She asked, and Remus tilted his head. Still under the first dose of smelling his mate's Heat. The pheromones took a second to get used to, that was until she groaned once more.

Clutching her stomach in agony, unsure if this was the correct feeling to have or not.

"S-sage...Tell me what you want to do." Sage tore her eyes open and tried her best to smile, but it hadn't panned out in way she wanted it to. Not that it mattered when Remus was inching closer, not caring if he was getting wet.

"I can't—I can't have a pup." She wanted to say more, to ease into the idea of not putting another pup of theirs through something as horrific as the breaking of the council.

It was bad enough that the damned leaders had thought they were lying.

I'm so tired, Remus. We wait for another pup.

"I...I understand. Let me get in touch with Kenzie. I don't have anything—Anything here anymore." That was also true, given that it had most likely expired.

Instead, there was another issue coursing through Remus' mind. Besides leaving Sage on her lonesome, but to inform her family and Andy who were just downstairs...It was a sentence he wasn't sure he was prepared for.

I'm not marked, Remus.

Sage reminded, though, that it had been Blake's reminder in the grand scheme.

A very important detail that Remus had nearly forgotten in his effort to get Sage comfortable

"That's...That's okay. Let me get Kenzie on the phone, and we can ask."

"And tell dad?"

"Yeah...Trying to get some courage for that one, hun." Remus said, and perhaps it was because the discomfort was starting to set in further, but it was truly not making things easier knowing that her male was hesitating.

"Pups will be okay..." It was a process of life for the pups in a pack to stay with a family or friend in the event that Heat does take over the mated couple.

She learned this during her time at the shifting ceremony when the mothers continued to discuss it with one another.

"They'll stay with Camilla for now..." Remus reassured, "I need to lock down the house." Now that she had laughed at, in addition to seeing his figure make such a remarkable escape.

After a quick update to Blake, thanking him for pulling apart the majority of the Half Crescent members, It only left those in the house, which could find ample places to stay.

Jackson and Aurora had already offered multiple times, and if the situation worsened, Blake wasn't above staying at the Packhouse.

Through the combined effort of everyone, Sage was allowed to enjoy the peacefulness of her house, slowly becoming less occupied, allowing her Wolf to feel at ease with the privacy.

Especially when her male was the only one left.

With a little bit of effort, Sage was able to turn the water off. The cooling temperature had turned dull, losing the sense of relief it was offering, and thus, she was left shivering.

"Remus?" She called out, and nearly instantly appeared by her side, his quickened speed almost causing her to flinch. Sage hadn't realized that saying his name would make him react in such a way, but for the moment, she was thankful for it.

"Let's get you out of these clothes. Jade said I should change the bedsheets and get you comfortable. We'll call Kenzie in a few minutes, but she might have someone drop off the necessary things." Sage nodded, rubbing her eyes as she yawned. Anxiously waiting for the moment that she could return to his arms.

Preparing for this Heat to lack the pleasure and stability it had before.

It hadn't taken long for Remus to strip the bed and replace it with new ones. Even adding a few more pillows and an extra blanket or two.

Truly, the added bonus was that Remus had a towel and his sweater at the ready for her to wear as he tried to dry her hair.

In sitting in his lap, Sage took to closing her eyes, trying to ignore the added throbbing in between her thighs as she centered herself here.

At home. In Crescent Moon.

The repeated mantra had nearly caused her to grow distracted as Remus dialed Kenzie's direct line.

"Alpha Remus, how can I help you?"

"Sage and I have been bless again..." Remus started off, "But this Heat is—"

"It hurts." Sage interrupted, and rather instantly, Kenzie went through a method of shuffling papers and typing along on the computer.

"I have on file that your last Heat was when you were in Half Crescent. Do you recall how many weeks that has been, Sage?" She instantly shook her head, for Remus to project off towards Kenzie considering he hadn't opted for a video call. "Hmm, as you know I'm not familiar with unmated she-wolves being gifted Heats. But Sage had been given another Heat shortly after she experienced her first here in Crescent Moon. I believe it's a second chance...Given that she was left uncared for the previous time, it may seem more difficult as she hadn't been given any support the previous time."

Remus frowned, hating the way Kenzie worded it. Even if it was the kindest way to remind him or them both, that Sage was not present and Remus hadn't known she was still alive.

Yet another question rallied in Remus' mind, wondering if now would be the time to discuss reclaiming their bond. For Sage to accept his mark, for him to accept hers.

To revive the bond that they held with one another.

As Sage pointed to the room's air conditioner, Remus had turned to fiddle with the device, as propping up the windows would only put her in danger.

And that was not something Remus could afford to handle. Not when his inner beast was thriving in her beautiful scent.

"There is so much we haven't explored with this, Alpha." Kenzie advised, "I do know that she-wolves within their families usually have the same amount of Heats throughout their lifetime. Sage comes from a family that's had three pups. I wouldn't be surprised if our Luna will always have two Heats. It's the fact that she's unmarked, which is worrisome."

"Maybe that can't break from Almond's poison..." Sage whispered, feeling at ease now that Remus was close, but that still didn't settle the ache.

Not yet, anyway.

"That is a possibility. A very good one, actually. I'll have to see the shift between the Half Crescent members you've brought with you...Now, I'll have my assistant bring over the supplies, and I'll ring the Kitchens. You're free to call me any time of the day." That sort of reassurance had caused Sage to smile and nod, even though she had turned into the new comforter and pushed herself deeper into the cool fabric.

"Understood, Kenzie. Thank you." And thus, they waited for the delivery of wolf-grade condoms, considering that this was the only time a wolf couple could become pregnant.

Not minding that Raven had not received a Heat of any sort, and they had been blessed with Bellamy—But those were thoughts for later on, given that Sage's eyes were now lightly taking a gaze to him.

Their reunion, while coming with dozens of issues and consequences, Remus couldn't be any more happy.

His family was whole again, and his best friend was back—it was just that how much Sage had forgiven him for what he'd done would truly determine what would happen next.

He wouldn't do anything she didn't want. But it felt wrong, given that she had little control. So he continued to bustle around the room, almost like he felt like he needed to keep moving.

"Sage...Do you need anything?" Remus had planned to say something else, but it was a general question.

One that she shook her head towards him.

"Was your last Heat this bad...?" Remus wasn't sure if he wanted to know the details, to hear how much she struggled with something every she-wolf was forced to go through, but the smile he hadn't been prepared for.

"This is not bad. You're here. I can smell and hear you. Before, I could only dream you were there." Her honesty had caused him to sink into the bed, completely weak in the knees.

Perhaps he didn't think he deserved it, but when Sage reached out for him—A little off in aim, she curled her hand into his—smiling at the warmth and embrace of such a little action.

"I dream about you sometimes. Not in Underground. Too much stress and medication. Not easy to feel safe. But in Black Crescent, I could. That's how I could draw pebbles. I wanted to feel close to you."

"Oh...Sweetheart, you—" It was not in an Alpha's nature to cry, but hearing Sage directly say it, to say it so perfectly, had pushed him to tears. This show of emotion had caused Sage to push closer, placing her head into his lap as she truly had used up a good portion of her energy, but still wanted to offer a sense of comfort.

Something he had done for her plenty of times in the past.

"Goddess, I missed you so much..." Remus whispered, his voice low as he moved aside the strands of wet hair from her face. "I've never prayed or wished for anything more."

"I'm here..." Sage whispered, "I'm back."

"I know, even when we touch, I miss our connection. Our bond." Sage nodded, wondering if it was indeed time to claim.

"You want to mark me?"

"I want to...And I was hoping you could do the same to me. Right here in your spot." Sage hummed, digging deeper into his lap, and she sighed in acceptance as she nodded. "...Sorry, tired."

"It's alright, hun. We'll recharge with something to snack on, I'm sorry. This morning was supposed to be your day off."

"Morning off. I had plans tonig—" A yawn took over, and Remus smirked. Wondering how much time he had left with Sage conscious.

"Yeah? What were your big plans?... Was I invited?"

"Hm, maybe. It's for Half Crescent. Make them feel welcomed into the pack."

"Ah, we can plan a pack party for sure, hun. In the new year." Remus could feel the rhythm spark in Sage's breathing, just like the last time they had experienced Heat—His sudden presence had pushed her to nap. To give her time to rest.

Truly, he didn't know how long Sage had been battling out the beginning stage of this Heat, but it didn't seem too heavy in the air.

Perhaps it was still detached, or it would only progress from here.

Minutes went by, and Remus had yet to move—Even when he caught the knock at the door. No doubt, the delivery of their much-needed supplies is finally coming.

"I'll be right back." He whispered, bending down to kiss her temple and trade his lap for a pillow, just for a moment, or until he returned.

What could only have been five minutes or less, Remus had returned back to the room with the prescription box from Kenzie—Yet what he hadn't been expecting was the blackened gaze of Sage.

Ready to devour him, as if his short absence had only instigated the second stage of the Heat.

It is one that Remus was prepared to serve from now until the Goddess decides her blessing has run its course.

______

Date: 02/20/25

Time: 1:02

Words:  3584

Author's Note:

And we're back! 

I apologize for the very late update. I'm still in the process of healing and making up for my missed days at work. That combination has me exhausted.

And the last thing I can force myself to do is stare at a screen and edit, so please excuse me as I edited this on my phone during my fifteen-minute break yesterday.

For those of you who read the original version, new chapter alert!

There's only a handful of new scenes or chapters to expect in this book, but I think this is the right track to continue the plans I have later on.

Anywhooo, I have started to get into gaming a little bit, AKA my boyfriend is very much into it, and I've wanted to get back into it.

So if you see Jeff the Landshark that has a gamer tag of Nerdyxwitch, no you didn't 😂

Also, if you're interested, I did an interview with the Amby Ambassador profile for my story, The Brave Human Mate. I'll post a Link on my profile right after I upload this one.

I'll see you guys in the next update!